Shift device for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A shift device, which sends a command signal to an electric actuator for shifting a plurality of gear ranges of a transmission of a vehicle by the electric actuator. The gear ranges include a plurality of drive ranges and a parking range. A shift lever is arranged to move between a neutral position and a plurality of manipulation positions located about the neutral position. A restoration mechanism restores the shift lever to the neutral position. A first sensor electrically detects a manipulation performed to select one of the drive ranges. A second sensor electrically detects a manipulation performed to select the parking range. The first sensor detects toward which of the manipulation positions the shift lever is manipulated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a shift device that electricallycontrols shifting of a number of gear ranges of an automatictransmission installed in a vehicle.

[0002] The gear ranges of an automatic transmission for a vehicle, suchas a P (parking) range, an R (reverse) range, an N (neutral) range, anda D (drive) range, are switched by a manual valve. A shift device forthe automatic transmission includes a shift lever. When the shift leveris manipulated, the shift lever moves between gear positions located inorder on a substantially straight line. The shift lever is directlyconnected to the manual valve through, for example, a link or a wiremechanically. Therefore, a manipulation force greater than or equal to apredetermined value is required to switch the manual valve by themanipulation of the shift lever. Thus, to apply the principle ofleverage, the length of the shift lever needs to be greater than orequal to a predetermined value. In such shift device, the shift lever isonly manipulated linearly and requires a large space for manipulatingthe shift lever. Also, the installation position of the shift device islimited to a place where a link or a wire can be arranged, such as onthe floor adjacent to the driver's seat or on the steering column.

[0003] To reduce the force required for manipulation and to reduce thesize of the shift device, a gear shifting device for an automatictransmission is proposed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No.63-37729. According to the device of the above publication, a manualvalve in the automatic transmission is controlled by a wire to shiftdrive gear ranges. The wire is driven by an electric motor and theelectric motor is actuated in accordance with the manipulation of anumber of electric switches.

[0004] According to the shift device structured as above, a driver canshift the gear range of the automatic transmission by manipulating theelectric switches with a small force and the size of the shift device isreduced. Also, the shift device is not required to be mechanicallyconnected to the automatic transmission. Therefore, the shift device canbe located at any position in the passenger compartment.

[0005] However, to reliably select a desired gear range of the shiftdevice of the above publication, the electrical switches must bemanipulated carefully. This hinders the operability of the shift device.

[0006] To solve such problems, Japanese laid-open publication No.3-157557 discloses a gear shifting device for an automatic transmission.The gear shifting device is provided with a shift device, which has astroke contact type manipulation switch. The contact points of themanipulation switch are located adjacent to one another along apredetermined track. Since the shift device of above publication isprovided with the stroke contact type manipulation switch, the size ofthe shift device is reduced and the shift device can be placed at anyposition. According to the above shift device, a driver can confirm thecurrent gear range by a gear range indicator arranged on, for example,an instrument panel. Thus, the drive can manipulate the manipulationswitches intuitively.

[0007] However, the shift device of the publication No. 3-157557 isprovided with the stroke contact type manipulation switch and themanipulation positions are located adjacent to one another along thepredetermined track. Therefore, if a driver manipulates the manipulationswitch too fast, the switch could slide past a desired manipulationposition. Therefore, a driver cannot manipulate the manipulation switchpromptly. Thus, the operability of the shift device is insufficient.

[0008] The objective of the present invention is to provide aminiaturized shift device that has an improved flexibility ofinstallation position and an improved operability.

[0009] Further objective of the present invention is to provide a shiftdevice that prevents the assumption of a driver related to the settingof a gear range of an automatic transmission being different from theactual state of the gear range so that the driver is not disturbed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] To achieve the foregoing objective, the present inventionprovides a shift device for a vehicle. The shift device sends a commandsignal to an electric actuator for shifting a plurality of gear rangesof a transmission of a vehicle by the electric actuator. The gear rangesinclude a plurality of drive ranges and a parking range. The shiftdevice includes a shift lever, a restoration mechanism, a first sensor,and a second sensor. The shift lever is arranged to move between aneutral position and a plurality of manipulation positions located aboutthe neutral position. The restoration mechanism restores the shift leverto the neutral position. The first sensor electrically detects amanipulation performed to select one of the drive ranges. The secondsensor electrically detects a manipulation performed to select theparking range. At least the first sensor detects toward which of themanipulation positions the shift lever is manipulated.

[0011] The present invention also provides a shift device of a vehicle.The shift device includes a gear range shifting mechanism, an actuator,manipulation range detecting means, actual gear range detecting means, acontroller, and manipulation range indicating means. The gear rangeshifting mechanism is actuated to mechanically shift gear ranges of atransmission. The actuator actuates the gear range shifting mechanism.The manipulation range detecting means detects a manipulation range. Themanipulation range represents manipulation of a shift manipulationportion by a driver. The actual gear range detecting means detects theactual gear range of the transmission. The controller shifts the actualgear ranges of the transmission by controlling the actuator inaccordance with detection signals from the manipulation range detectingmeans and the actual gear range detecting means. The manipulation rangeindicating means indicates the manipulation range based on the detectionsignal from the manipulation range detecting means. The manipulationrange indicating means allows to indicate that the manipulation rangedoes not correspond to the detection signal from the manipulation rangedetecting means.

[0012] Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles ofthe invention

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The invention, together with objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description of thepresently preferred embodiments together with the accompanying drawingsin which:

[0014]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a shift device according to afirst embodiment of the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the shift device shownin FIG. 1;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a front view, with a part cut away, illustrating theshift device shown in FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 shown inFIG. 3;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle, which isprovided with an automatic transmission, and a controller according tothe first embodiment;

[0019]FIG. 6 is a partial schematic diagram illustrating the controlleraccording to the first embodiment;

[0020]FIG. 7(a) is a perspective view, with a part cut away,illustrating an arrangement of a shift device according to a secondembodiment of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 7(b) is a plan view illustrating the shift device shown inFIG. 7(a);

[0022]FIG. 8 is a view showing a frame format of a hydraulic circuit ofan automatic transmission according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention;

[0023]FIG. 9(a) is a perspective view illustrating a shift manipulationportion;

[0024]FIG. 9(b) is a plan view illustrating a structure of an instrumentpanel;

[0025]FIG. 10 is a view showing a frame format of an electric structureof the shift device;

[0026]FIG. 11 is a time chart illustrating a control of the thirdembodiment;

[0027]FIG. 12 is a time chart illustrating a control of a fourthembodiment of the present invention; and

[0028]FIG. 13 is a time chart illustrating a control of a fifthembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION First Embodiment

[0029] A first embodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0030]FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle that isprovided with an automatic transmission and its controller according tothe first embodiment.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, an output shaft (not shown) of an engine 2 isconnected to a torque converter 4. The torque converter 4 adjusts andtransmits the rotational torque of the output shaft of the engine 2 toan automatic transmission (hereinafter, referred to as A/T) 6 through afluid.

[0032] A hydraulic controller 8 within the A/T 6 includes an electricactuator, which is a motor 10 in the first embodiment, for shifting gearranges. The motor 10 is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU)for automatic transmission (A/T ECU) 58, which controls the hydraulicpressure of the hydraulic controller 8 within the A/T 6.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, an outer lever 12 extends through a housing(not shown) of the hydraulic controller 8. The outer lever 12 is coupledto an output shaft (not shown) of the motor 10. A detent plate 14 isintegrally formed with the outer lever 12. The detent plate 14 iscoupled to a manual valve 16, which shifts the gear ranges of the A/T 6by changing the destination of the supply of the oil pressure.Therefore, when the outer lever 12 is rotated clockwise orcounterclockwise by the motor 10, the position of the manual valve 16 isshifted through the detent plate 14. Thus, the gear range is shiftedbetween, for example, a P (parking) range, an R (reverse) range, an N(neutral) range, and a D (drive) range.

[0034] A number of detent grooves 15 are formed at the peripheralportion of the detent plate 14 for determining the gear position. Thedistal end of a detent spring 18 is elastically pressed against theperipheral portion of the detent plate 14. Therefore, the distal end ofthe detent spring 18 is engaged with one of the detent grooves 15 of thedetent plate 14. The engagement causes an operator to feel changes inthe force applied when manipulating the shift lever and also determinesthe gear range of the A/T 6.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 1, a shift device 24 for shifting the gearranges of the A/T 6 is arranged on an armrest 22 of a door 20 next tothe driver's seat in a vehicle compartment.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the shift device 24 includes a mainbody 26 and a shift lever 28, which extends upward from the center ofthe main body 26. A number of support legs 34 (Four support legs areprovided in the first embodiment) are located on a base portion 32 ofthe main body 26. A guide plate 44, which has a guide groove 45, isfixed at the middle of the support legs 34. A mounting frame 35, whichhas a bore 35 a, is fixed at the upper end portion of the support legs34. The shift lever 28 is arranged on the mounting frame 35 and can betilted with respect to the mounting frame 35.

[0037] The shift lever 28 includes a shift rod 29 and a manipulationknob 30, which is fixed on the upper end of the shift rod 29. A skirtportion 31 covers the periphery of the shift rod 29 at the lower end ofthe manipulation knob 30.

[0038] The shift rod 29 extends through the bore 35 a of the mountingframe 35 and the guide groove 45 of the guide plate 44. The shift rod 29is rotatably supported by a support pin 37, which is attached to themounting frame 35. The shift rod 29 is also rotatably supported by asupport pin 38, which is perpendicular to the support pin 37. Therefore,the shift rod 29 can be tilted to any arbitrary direction about thecenter point CP, which is the intersecting point of the support pin 37and the support pin 38, the two pins acting as a supporting member.

[0039] A plunger 40 is arranged on the distal end of the shift rod 29through a detent spring 39. The plunger 40 projects or retracts from thedistal end of the shift rod 29 by means of the detent spring 39. Theforce of the detent spring 39 presses the plunger 40 against the baseportion 32. A recess 33 is formed on the base portion 32. The recess 33is engaged with the plunger 40 and keeps the shift rod 29 in position.The recess 33 is formed directly below the center point CP. The distancebetween the center point CP and the center portion of the recess 33 isthe greatest. The distance from the center point CP to the recess 33decreases toward the peripheral portion of the recess 33. In the firstembodiment, the detent spring 39 and the plunger 40 arranged on theshift rod 29 and the recess 33 of the base portion 32 form a restorationmechanism for restoring the shift lever 28 to a neutral position.

[0040] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, if the shift lever 28 is tilted,for example, forward, the plunger 40 is pressed by the inner surface ofthe recess 33 and is retracted in the shift rod 29. Thus, the shiftlever 28 can be tilted. In this state, if the shift lever 28 isreleased, the plunger 40 projects from the shift rod 29 by the force ofthe detent spring 39. The plunger 40 thus presses the inner surface ofthe recess 33. This force restores the shift lever 28 to the neutralposition as shown in FIG. 3.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the guide groove 45 of the guide plate 44includes a first guide groove 46 and a second guide groove 47, whichintersect each other to form a cruciform shape. The first and secondguide grooves 46, 47 guide and restrict the moving direction of theshift rod 29. The first guide groove 46 extends in the front and reardirection of the vehicle and the second guide groove 47 extends in theleft and right direction of the vehicle. A D range switch 49 is locatedat the front side of the first guide groove 46 and an R range switch 48is located at the rear side of the first guide groove 46. A shift upswitch 50 is located at the left side of the second guide groove 47 anda shift down switch 51 is located at the right side of the second guidegroove 47.

[0042] In the first embodiment, a limit switch is used for each of the Rrange switch 48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch 50, and theshift down switch 51. The shift rod 29 is manipulated when the shiftlever 28 is inclined. Each of the R range switch 48, the D range switch49, the shift up switch 50, and the shift down switch 51 electricallydetects the manipulation of the shift rod 29 and outputs a commandsignal for shifting the motor 10.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an operation panel 41 is located onthe mounting frame 35 of the shift device 24. The skirt portion 31 ofthe shift lever 28 extends through the operation panel 41. An indexguide 43 is arranged about the circumferential portion of a through hole42 on the operation panel 41. The index guide 43 indicates a number ofmanipulation positions of the shift lever 28. Each of the manipulationpositions corresponds to one of the R range switch 48, the D rangeswitch 49, the shift up switch 50, and the shift down switch 51. Thatis, an R (reverse) position is located on the front side of the vehicleand a D (drive) position is located on the rear side of the vehicle.Also, a negative (shift down) position is located on the left side ofthe vehicle and a positive (shift up) position is located on the rightside of the vehicle. The negative (−) and positive (+) positions areused for selecting each of forward drive gear ranges (3, 2, and L) otherthan the D range. The R position and the D position are arranged on afirst straight line with the neutral position in between. The positiveposition and the negative position are arranged on a second straightline with the neutral position in between. Thus, the second straightline is perpendicular to the first straight line.

[0044] A P range switch (manipulation switch) 53 for selecting a P(parking) range of the A/T 6 is arranged at the substantial center ofthe side surface of the manipulation knob 30 of the shift lever 28. TheP range switch 53 is located such that a driver can easily manipulatewith the right thumb while grasping the manipulation knob 30 with theright hand. Furthermore, a selector switch 52 is arranged on the uppersurface and front side of the manipulation knob 30. The selector switch52 validates the manipulation of the shift lever 28. In other words, theselector switch 52 validates a detection signal from the R range switch48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch 50, and the shift downswitch 51.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 5, the vehicle according to the first embodimentincludes an engine ECU (E/G·ECU) 56 and the A/T·ECU 58 as an electroniccontrol unit (ECU). The E/G·ECU 56 mainly controls the engine 2. The A/TECU 58 mainly controls the A/T 6. Each of the E/G·ECU 56 and the A/T·ECU58 is electrically connected to each other through a vehicle networkline.

[0046] A microcomputer is mainly used for the E/G·ECU 56. The E/G·ECU 56controls the engine 2 in a suitable manner by driving a fuel injectionvalve, an igniter, and other actuators based on, for example, detectionsignals from various sensors.

[0047] The A/T·ECU 58 receives detection signals from the R range switch48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch 50, the shift down switch51, the selector switch 52, and the P range switch 53 of the shiftdevice 24.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 6, the A/T·ECU 58 receives detection signalsfrom a rotational angle detecting sensor 54 and a neutral start switch55. The rotational angle detecting sensor 54 detects the rotationalangle of the motor 10. The neutral start switch 55 detects the actualposition of the manual valve 16.

[0049] A microcomputer is used for the A/T·ECU 58. The A/T ECU 58includes a read only memory (ROM), a central processing unit (CPU), anda random access memory (RAM). The ROM stores a program required forprocessing various software related to the gear range shifting of theA/T 6 and the automatic gear shifting for forward drive gear ranges. TheCPU executes the programs and the parameters required for the programsare temporarily stored in the RAM.

[0050] When the shift device 24 is manipulated, each of the R rangeswitch 48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch 50, the shift downswitch 51, the selector switch 52, and the P range switch 53 sends adetection signal to the A/T·ECU 58. The A/T·ECU 58 then drives the motor10 based on the detection signal and shifts the position of the manualvalve 16, which then shifts gears of the A/T 6.

[0051] The combination of input signals generated by the manipulation ofthe shift lever 28 of the shift device 24 and the manipulation of the Prange switch 53 and the selector switch 52 sets manipulation patterns ofthe gear shift of the manual valve 16. The manipulation patterns arelisted in Table 1 below. TABLE 1 Operation Pattern Shift Lever OperationSwitch Operation P

R Tilt Forward Press Selector Switch P

D Tilt Rearward Press Selector Switch R

D Tilt Rearward None R

P None Press P Range Switch D

P None Press P Range Switch D

R Tilt Forward Press Selector Switch D

3rd Tilt Leftward None D

2nd Tilt Leftward Twice None D

L Tilt Leftward Three Times None 3rd

L Tilt Leftward Twice None 3rd

2nd Tilt Leftward None 3rd

D Tilt Rightward or Tilt None Rearward 3rd

R Tilt Forward Press Selector Switch 3rd

P None Press P Range Switch 2nd

L Tilt Leftward None 2nd

3rd Tilt Rightward None 2nd

D Tilt Rightward Twice or None Tilt Rearward 2nd

R Tilt Forward Press Selector Switch 2nd

P None Press P Range Switch L

2nd Tilt Rightward None L

3rd Tilt Rightward Twice None L

D Tilt Rightward Three None Times or Tilt Rearward L

R Tilt Forward Press Selector Switch L

P None Press P Range Switch

[0052] The first embodiment has the following advantages.

[0053] According to the shift device 24 of the first embodiment, theshift lever 28 moves between the neutral position and the R position andbetween the neutral position and the D position. The shift lever 28 alsomoves between the neutral position and the positive position and betweenthe neutral position and the negative position. When the shift lever 28is released, the shift lever 28 is restored to the neutral position bythe restoration mechanism (the detent spring 39, the plunger 40, and therecess 33 of the base portion 32). Therefore, the space required formanipulating the lever is reduced and thus the size of the shift device24 is reduced.

[0054] The manipulation of the shift lever 28 to each manipulationposition is electrically detected by detection switches, which are the Rrange switch 48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch 50, and theshift down switch 51. The selection of the parking range is electricallydetected by the P range switch 53. Therefore, it is not required tomechanically connect the shift device 24 and the A/T 6. Thus, the shiftdevice 24 can be arranged at any position within the vehiclecompartment. Particularly, in the first embodiment, the shift device 24is arranged on the armrest 22 of the door 20 next to the driver's seat.Therefore, the manipulation of the steering wheel does not interferewith the manipulation of the shift device 24. Thus, the operability ofthe shift device 24 is improved.

[0055] The shift device 24 is located at the peripheral portion of thevehicle compartment, that is, on the door 20 next to the driver's seat.Therefore, the shift device 24 is not an obstacle for occupants. Thus,the shift device 24 will not be manipulated unintentionally and thespace in the vehicle compartment is effectively used.

[0056] Furthermore, each of the manipulation positions of the shiftlever 28 is assigned for one of the drive gear ranges. Therefore, evenwhen the lever is manipulated quickly, the desired drive gear range iseasily and reliably selected.

[0057] In addition, the R position and the D position of the shift lever28 are located on the first straight line and the positive position andthe negative position are located on the second straight line, which isperpendicular to the first straight line. Therefore, a driver canmanipulate the shift lever 28 intuitively without carefully looking atthe shift lever 28. This improves the operability of the shift device 24and the running performance of a vehicle.

[0058] The R range switch 48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch50, and the shift down switch 51, each of which is a limit switch, arearranged in correspondence with the manipulation positions (R, D, +, −)of the shift lever 28. Therefore, the durability of the detectionswitches is improved. Also, each of the R range switch 48, the D rangeswitch 49, the shift up switch 50, and the shift down switch 51 can bereplaced separately in the case of a failure. This facilitates themaintenance of the shift lever 28.

[0059] According to the shift device 24 of the first embodiment, the Prange switch 53, which is used for selecting the parking position, isarranged on the shift lever 28. Therefore, the P range switch 53 iseasily manipulated and the size of the shift device 24 is reduced.

[0060] A second embodiment of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b). The structure of thecontroller of the A/T in the shift device 24 according to the secondembodiment is different from that of the first embodiment. Otherstructures are the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, likemembers are given the like numbers and detailed explanations areomitted.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 7(a), the shift device 60 of the secondembodiment is arranged on the armrest 22 of the door (not shown) next tothe driver's seat and moves with respect to the armrest 22. An elongatedhole 22 a is formed on the armrest 22 and extends in the front and reardirection of a vehicle. The shift lever 28 project from the armrest 22through the elongated hole 22 a. A T-shaped protrusion 62 is formed onthe base portion 32 of the main body 26. The protrusion 62 is located ona door panel side (not shown) and extends in the front and reardirection of the vehicle. The protrusion 62 slides along a guide rail 70formed on the door panel (not shown). Also, a female screw portion 63 isformed through the base portion 32 opposite to the protrusion 62 andextends in the front and rear direction of the vehicle. A lead screw 65,which is rotated by an electric motor 64, is screwed in the female screwportion 63.

[0062] Therefore, the shift device 60 moves along the guide rail 70 inthe front and rear direction of the vehicle through the engagement ofthe lead screw 65 and the female screw portion 63 when the lead screw 65is rotated to one direction or the other by the electric motor 64. Inthe second embodiment, the protrusion 62, the guide rail 70, the femalescrew portion 63, the electric motor 64, and the lead screw 65 form themovement mechanism.

[0063] According to the shift device 60, only the shift lever 28projects through the elongated hole 22 a. Therefore, as shown in FIG.7(b), an index guide 67, which shows the manipulation positions, isarranged on the top surface of the manipulation knob 30. The index guide67 includes a manipulation position corresponding to each of the R rangeswitch 48, the D range switch 49, the shift up switch 50, and the shiftdown switch 51. That is, the index guide 67 includes an R (reverse)position and a D (drive) position arranged in the front and reardirection of the vehicle and a negative (shift down) position and apositive (shift up) position arranged in the left and right direction ofthe vehicle for selecting forward drive gear ranges (3, 2, and L) otherthan the D range.

[0064] The second embodiment has following advantages in addition to theadvantages of the first embodiment.

[0065] The shift device 60 is arranged to move with respect to thearmrest 22 of the door next to the driver's seat. Therefore, the shiftdevice 60 can be located at any desired position and thus theoperability of the shift device 60 is improved.

[0066] The first and the second embodiments may be modified as follows.

[0067] The shift device 24 according to the first embodiment may belocated on the steering column.

[0068] The shift device 24 according to the first embodiment is locatedon the door next to the driver's seat. However, the shift device 24 maybe located on the floor on the left side of the driver's seat to bemoved in the front and rear direction of a vehicle by a movementmechanism.

[0069] A lift mechanism may be applied to the armrest 22 for the shiftdevice 24, 60 according to the first and second embodiments. In thiscase, the shift device 24, 60 is selectively projected from andretracted in the armrest 22. Therefore, the shift device 24, 60 can bestored in the armrest 22 when a driver gets off the vehicle. Thus, thedoor 20 next to the driver's seat is easily opened or closed.

Third Embodiment

[0070] A third embodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to FIGS. 8 to 11.

[0071]FIG. 8 is a view showing a frame format of the structure of anautomatic transmission (AT) according to the third embodiment.

[0072] As shown in FIG. 8, the AT includes a fluid type torque converter101 and a gear type transmission mechanism 102. The gear is shifted inthe gear type transmission mechanism 102 to select the forward or therearward drive or to change the gear ratio. The AT according to thethird embodiment has four gears (first gear to fourth gear) for forwarddrive and a reverse gear.

[0073] The hydraulic controller for shifting gears includes a number ofhydraulic lines. The hydraulic lines are connected to, for example, aclutch for the gear shift, which is built in the gear type transmissionmechanism 102, or a brake and transmits the hydraulic pressure (linepressure) generated by an oil pump 103. The hydraulic controllerincludes a manual valve 104 (gear range shifting mechanism) and a numberof shift valves 105, which function as a mechanism for changingcombination of the hydraulic lines.

[0074] The oil controller of the AT includes a number of shift solenoids106 (only two shift solenoids 106 are shown in FIG. 8) each of whichcorresponds to one of the shift valves 105. Each shift solenoid 106applies the hydraulic pressure (pilot pressure) to the correspondingshift valve 105 in accordance with the current supply control.

[0075] The manual valve 104 changes the basic combination of thehydraulic lines for setting the gear ranges that can be selected in thegear type transmission mechanism 102, that is, the gear range of the AT.The gear range of the AT can be shifted in the range set by the manualvalve 104 in accordance with the combination of the state of the currentsupply control of each shift solenoid 106.

[0076] The gear range of the AT can be set as follows. The AT is set toa neutral state in the N range and the P range. When the AT is set tothe neutral state, the power transmission between the engine side andthe drive wheel side of the gear type transmission mechanism 102 isdisconnected. When the gear is set to the P range, the parking lock isactuated to mechanically fix the rotation of a shaft in the transmissionmechanism 102 that is connected to the drive wheels.

[0077] The example of the gear ranges of the AT is listed below.

[0078] Drive (D) range: first gear to fourth gear can be selected.

[0079] Third (3rd) range: first gear to third gear can be selected.

[0080] Second (2nd) range: first gear and second gear can be selected.

[0081] Low (L) range: Fixed to first gear.

[0082] Reverse (R) range: Fixed to reverse gear.

[0083] Neutral (N) range: Neutral state

[0084] Parking (P) range: Neutral state Parking lock is actuated.

[0085] According to the third embodiment, the actuation position of themanual valve 104 is shifted by an actuator 108, which is connected tothe manual valve 104 through a mechanical link mechanism 107. Theelectric motor is used as the actuator 108 in the third embodiment. Ashift device that employs shift-by-wire systems is used in the thirdembodiment. In the above mentioned shift device, the actuator 108 iscontrolled in accordance with the detection signals, which indicates themanipulation state of the shift manipulation portion at the driver'sseat. This shifts the gear range of the AT.

[0086]FIG. 9(a) shows an example of the shift manipulation portion. Ashift manipulation portion 110 includes a joystick type shift lever 111and two pushbuttons, or a P button 112 and an N button 113.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 9(a), the shift lever 111 can be tilted forward,backward, leftward, and rightward about a point O at its proximalportion. When a driver tilts the shift lever 111 forward, the gear isshifted to the R range and when a driver tilts the shift lever 111backward, the gear is shifted to the D range. Also, when the forwardrange other than the L range is selected, that is, when any of the Drange, the 3rd range, and the 2nd range is selected, the gear range ofthe AT can be shifted one step down to a slower range (D→3rd→2nd→L) bytilting the shift lever 111 leftward. Also, when the forward range otherthan the D range is selected, the gear range of the AT is shifted onestep up to a faster range by tilting the shift lever 111 rightward(L→2nd→3rd→D).

[0088] The shift lever 111 is urged to maintain the neutral position andnot tilted in any direction. Therefore, if a driver releases the shiftlever 111 after manipulation, the shift lever 111 is automaticallyrestored to the neutral position.

[0089] According to the shift manipulation portion 110, the AT is set tothe P range by pressing the P button 112 three times or to the N rangeby pressing the N button 113 three times. The P button 112 and the Nbutton 113 are also urged to be automatically restored aftermanipulation.

[0090] According to the third embodiment, the shift manipulation portion110 further includes a first indicator 114. The first indicator 114includes segmented indicating lamps, which are selectively turned on andoff separately. The first indicator 114 indicates the selected gearrange with a sign (such as D, 3, 2, and L) formed by the combination ofthe indicating lamps.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 9(b), the instrument panel located near thedriver's seat also has a second indicator 115. The second indicator 115includes a number of frames (such as P, R, N, and D), each of whichcorresponds to one of the gear ranges. One of the frames is selectivelylit to indicate the selected gear range to a driver.

[0092]FIG. 10 illustrates an electric structure of a control accordingto the third embodiment, such as shifting the gear range of the AT andthe indication of the first and the second indicators 114, 115. FIG. 10also illustrates a frame format of a structure of an actuation mechanismof the manual valve 104.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 10, the control system of the shift deviceaccording to the third embodiment is structured with a shiftmanipulation controller 120 at the center. The shift manipulationcontroller 120 controls the gear shift of the AT.

[0094] The shift manipulation controller 120 includes switches SW1, SW2,SW3, SW4, SW5, and SW6 for sending a manipulation signal in accordancewith the manipulation of each of the shift lever 111, P button 112, andN button 113 of the shift manipulation portion 110. Each of the switchesSW1 to SW6 sends a manipulation signal to the shift manipulationcontroller 120 when the corresponding one of the shift lever 111, the Pbutton 112, and the N button 113 is manipulated. The shift manipulationcontroller 120 determines the manipulation state of the shiftmanipulation portion 110 according to the received manipulation signal.Therefore, the switches SW1 to SW6 correspond to manipulation rangedetecting means in the third embodiment.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 10, the manual valve 104 is mechanically coupledto the rotational axis of the electric motor type actuator 108 throughthe link mechanism 107. The manual valve 104 includes an actuationposition corresponding to each gear range. The actuation positions ofthe manual valve 104 are changed in accordance with the rotation of therotational shaft of the actuator 108, thus shifting the gear range ofthe AT.

[0096] Each of the actuation positions of the manual valve 104corresponds to one of the gear ranges. The actuation positions arearranged in a predetermined order (In FIG. 10, P, R, N, D, 3rd, 2nd, andL are arranged in this order).

[0097] A parking lock mechanism 102 a is connected to the link mechanism107 for performing the parking lock when the P range is selected. Theparking lock mechanism 102 a actuates and performs the parking lock onlywhen the manual valve 104 is located at the actuation position of the Prange.

[0098] An actual position sensor 121 and a rotational angle sensor 122detect the actuation position of the manual valve 104, that is, theactual gear range of the AT. The actual position sensor 121 and therotational angle sensor 122 are connected to the shift manipulationcontroller 120. The actual position sensor 121 is located in thevicinity of the link mechanism 107 and detects the actuation position ofthe link mechanism 107. The rotational angle sensor 122 detects therotational angle of the rotational axis of the electric motor typeactuator 108. The shift manipulation controller 120 determines theactuation position of the manual valve 104, that is, the actual gearrange of the AT based on the detection signals from the actual positionsensor 121 and the rotational angle sensor 122. Therefore, the actualposition sensor 121 and the rotational angle sensor 122 correspond toactual gear range detecting means in the third embodiment.

[0099] Furthermore, the shift manipulation controller 120 is alsoconnected to and controls the first and second indicators 114, 115 and abuzzer 127, which generates a notification sound to warn a driver.

[0100] The shift manipulation controller 120 according to the thirdembodiment is structured as an electronic control unit that is separatefrom the AT electronic control unit 123, which performs the controlprocedures of AT other than those described above. The AT electroniccontrol unit 123 controls the shifting of gears within the predeterminedgear ranges by controlling the current supply to the shift solenoids 106or performs the actuation control of the torque converter 101 inaccordance with the current supply to a lock up (L/U) solenoid 101 a.

[0101] A vehicle speed sensor 124 for detecting the vehicle speed, anacceleration sensor 125 for detecting the depression amount of theacceleration pedal, and a brake sensor 126 for detecting if the brakepedal is depressed are connected to the AT electronic control unit 123.The AT electronic control unit 123 is also connected to the shiftmanipulation controller 120 and the information is exchanged between theAT electronic control unit 123 and the shift manipulation controller120. The AT electronic control unit 123 determines the driving state ofthe vehicle based on the information received from the vehicle speedsensor 124, the acceleration sensor 125, or the shift manipulationcontroller 120. Then, the AT electronic control unit 123 performs theabove mentioned AT control.

[0102] On the other hand, the shift manipulation controller 120 isstructured to be able to control the shifting of gear rangesindependently without receiving information from the AT electroniccontrol unit 123. That is, the shift manipulation controller 120independently controls the shifting of the actuation position of themanual valve 104 in accordance with the manipulation of the shiftmanipulation portion 110 and the indication of the indicators 114, 115.

[0103] If information is sent from the AT electronic control unit 123,the shift manipulation controller 120 can perform a more complicatedcontrol procedures compared with a case when the AT electronic controlunit 123 performs a control procedure independently.

[0104] The control of the shift manipulation controller 120 for shiftingthe gear range of the AT according to the third embodiment structured asabove will now be described. The shift manipulation controller 120controls the shifting of the gear range of the AT as described below.

[0105] When a manipulation signal is received from any of the switchesSW1 to SW6, the shift manipulation controller 120 detects themanipulation state of the shift manipulation portion 110, or themanipulation range. Then, the shift manipulation controller 120determines the appropriateness of the shifting of the actual gear rangeaccording to the detected manipulation range. The shift manipulationcontroller 120 determines the appropriateness of the shifting of theactual gear range based on the actual gear range determined inaccordance with the detection signals from the actual position sensor121 and the rotational angle sensor 122 and the driving state of thevehicle received through the AT electronic control unit 123. If thedetected manipulation range is inappropriate for the current drivingstate of the vehicle, the shift manipulation controller 120 determinesthat it is an invalid manipulation. For example, if a driver selects theR range by manipulating the shift lever 111 when the vehicle is drivingforward (actual gear range is D, 3rd, 2nd, or L) at a speed greater thanor equal to a predetermined speed (R prohibition speed), the shiftmanipulation controller 120 determines that the manipulation is invalid.Therefore, the shifting of the actual gear range to the R range isprohibited and the excessive increase of the load on the gear typetransmission mechanism 102 is avoided.

[0106] If the detected manipulation range is determined to beappropriate, or the manipulation is valid, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 shifts the actual gear range as described below. That is,the shift manipulation controller 120 drives the actuator 108 such thatthe actual gear range is consistent with the detected manipulation rangewith reference to the detection signals from the actual position sensor121 and the rotational angle sensor 122. Then, the manual valve 104 isdriven to the actuation position corresponding to the detectedmanipulation range and thus the actual gear range of the AT is shiftedto the manipulation range.

[0107] As mentioned above, the shift lever 111, the P button 112, andthe N button 113 of the shift manipulation portion 110 according to thethird embodiment are automatically restored after being manipulated.Therefore, it is difficult to confirm the manipulation state from theappearance. Thus, in the third embodiment, the manipulation range isindicated by the first and second indicators 114, 115 to permit a driverto confirm the manipulation state. That is, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 switches the indication of each of the first and secondindicators 114, 115 in sync with the manipulation signals from theswitches SW1 to SW6. The indication of each of the first and secondindicators 114, 115 is switched to the manipulation range thatcorresponds to the manipulation signals. Therefore, in the thirdembodiment, the indicators 114, 115 correspond to manipulation rangeindicating means.

[0108] However, depending on the driving state of the vehicle, the shiftmanipulation controller 120 determines that the manipulation performedby a driver is invalid and prohibits the shifting of the actual gearrange corresponding to the manipulation. Therefore, the manipulationrange and the actual gear range are not always consistent. Thus, if theshift device has only the first and second indicators 114, 115, thedriver's manipulation state (manipulation range) is clearly acknowledgedbut the actual gear range of the AT (actual gear range) is difficult tobe realized.

[0109] Therefore, when the shift manipulation controller 120 prohibitsthe shifting of the actual gear range corresponding to the manipulationperformed by a driver in accordance with the driving state of thevehicle, the shift manipulation controller 120 controls the indicationstate of each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 as describedbelow. That is, if it is determined that the manipulation of the shiftdevice based on the received manipulation signal is invalid, the shiftmanipulation controller 120 prohibits the switching of the indication tothe manipulation range corresponding to the received manipulationsignal. Then, the shift manipulation controller 120 controls each of thefirst and second indicators 114, 115 to maintain the original gear rangeindication. This indication control allows a driver to be reliablyinformed of the manipulation state and prevents the inconsistencybetween the indication of the first and second indicators 114, 115 andthe actual gear range.

[0110] Even if it is determined that the manipulation is invalid, adriver might assume that the actual gear range will be shiftedcorresponding to the manipulation. Therefore, the driver might bedisturbed if the indication state of each of the first and secondindicators 114, 115 does not change. Thus, it is desirable to inform thedriver that the manipulation is cancelled. In the third embodiment, whenthe shift manipulation controller 120 determines that the manipulationis invalid, the buzzer 127 generates a notification sound to notify thedriver that the manipulation has been cancelled.

[0111]FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the control state according tothe third embodiment.

[0112] As mentioned above, when the vehicle is driving forward at aspeed greater than or equal to the predetermined R (reverse) prohibitionspeed, it is prohibited to shift from the forward range (any one of theD, 3rd, 2nd, and L range) to the R range. If the vehicle speed is equalto or greater than the R prohibition speed, as shown in FIG. 11, theshift manipulation controller 120 turns on a flag (R prohibition flag)and stores a memory. The R prohibition flag is kept on as long as thevehicle speed is greater than or equal to the R prohibition speed.Therefore, according to the example shown in FIG. 11, the R prohibitionflag is kept on until time t2 when the vehicle speed is less than the Rprohibition speed.

[0113] The example of FIG. 11 shows a case where the actual gear rangeis set to the D range. At time t1, the manual valve 104 is located atthe actuation position corresponding to the D range. At this time, adriver tilts the shift lever 111 to the R range side to shift the gearrange to the R range. However, the vehicle speed is greater than orequal to the R prohibition speed at time t1 and the R prohibition flagis on. Therefore, the shift manipulation controller 120 determines thatthe shifting of the gear range to the R range is invalid and prohibitsthe shifting of the actual gear range to the R range.

[0114] That is, although the shift manipulation controller 120 receivesthe manipulation signal for shifting the gear to the R range, themanipulation is determined to be invalid since the R prohibition flag ison. Therefore, the actual gear range is kept at the D range. Theindication of the first and second indicators 114, 115 are also kept atthe D range. For example, the second indicator 115 on the instrumentpanel continues to light up the frame for the D range (D indicator).Although not shown in FIG. 11, the first indicator 114 at the shiftmanipulation portion 110 also maintains the indication state before themanipulation, that is, the indication state that corresponds to the Drange.

[0115] Thus, the indications of the first and second indicators 114, 115are consistent with the actual gear range. However, as mentioned above,there could be a difference between the assumption of the driver and theactual indications. Therefore, when the manipulation is determined to beinvalid at time t1, the shift manipulation controller 120 sends acommand signal to the buzzer 127. Then, the buzzer 127 generates anotification sound. This notifies the driver that the manipulation iscancelled.

[0116] The case when the shift manipulation from the D range to the Rrange is invalidated is described above as an example. However, when theother manipulations to shift the gears are cancelled based on thedriving state of the vehicle, the indication of the first and secondindicators 114, 115 are maintained and the driver is notified by thesound of the buzzer 127 in the same manner.

[0117] The third embodiment has the following advantages.

[0118] (1) In the third embodiment, the first and second indicators 114,115 basically indicate the gear range corresponding to the manipulationstate in sync with the manipulation state of the shift manipulationportion 110, that is, in sync with the manipulation signals sent fromthe switches SW1 to SW6. Therefore, although the shift lever 111, the Pbutton 112, and the N button 113 are momentary type and automaticallyrestored after manipulation, the driver accurately realizes themanipulation state that has been performed.

[0119] (2) The shift manipulation portion 110 according to the thirdembodiment performs all gear shift manipulation with the shift lever111, the P button 112, and the N button 113, which are momentary type.Therefore, after a driver manipulates, each of the shift lever 111, theP button 112, and the N button 113 is automatically restored. Thus, adriver cannot tell the manipulation state from the appearance of theshift manipulation portion 110. Therefore, even if the actual gear rangeis not shifted in accordance with manipulation of the shift manipulationportion 110, the shift manipulation portion 110 does not indicate thediscrepancy between the actual gear range and a gear range that thedriver intended. This permits a flexible shifting control of the actualgear range.

[0120] (3) When the gear is shifted inappropriately to the currentdriving state of the vehicle, it is determined that the manipulation isinvalid and the shifting of the actual gear range in accordance with themanipulation is prohibited. Therefore, an inappropriate shifting of theactual gear range, which applies an excessive load to the gear typetransmission mechanism 102, is avoided in a suitable manner.

[0121] (4) In the third embodiment, each of the first and secondindicators 114, 115 generally indicates the current gear range in syncwith the manipulation of the shift manipulation portion 110. When themanipulation is cancelled, the gear range that is indicated before themanipulation is maintained. Therefore, a driver is accurately informedof the manipulation state and when the manipulation is cancelled, theactual state of the transmission is accurately notified. This reducesthe possibility that a driver is disturbed.

[0122] (5) When the manipulation is invalid, the buzzer 127 generates anotification sound to notify a driver that the manipulation iscancelled. Therefore, the driver accurately recognizes the manipulationthat was performed while accurately recognizing the state of the actualgear range by the indication of the first and second indicators 114,115.

Modification of Third Embodiment

[0123] According to the first embodiment, the buzzer 127 generates anotification sound to notify a driver that the manipulation iscancelled. However, the notification system may be modified.

[0124] For example, to indicate to a driver that the manipulation iscancelled, each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 may indicatethe manipulation state in a particular manner that is different from thenormal gear range indication corresponding to the received manipulationsignal. As long as the state is indicated when the manipulation isdetermined to be invalid, a driver will not be disturbed although thecancelled manipulation range and the actual gear range are inconsistent.

[0125] Each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 may maintain theindication before the manipulation and the indication may be flashed fora predetermined period. For example, in a case same as shown in FIG. 11,the frame corresponding to the D range (the D indicator) of the secondindicator 115 on the instrument panel may be flashed or the firstindicator 114 of the shift manipulation portion 110 may display theindication corresponding to the D range and the indication may beflashed from time t1 until a predetermined time elapses.

[0126] The second indicator 115 on the instrument panel may maintainlighting up the indication frame that corresponds to the gear rangebefore the manipulation and flash the indication frame that correspondsto the cancelled manipulation range for a predetermined period.

[0127] The second indicator 115 on the instrument panel may maintain theindication of the gear range before the manipulation and the secondindicator 114 of the shift manipulation portion 110 may indicate aparticular sign (such as C), which shows the cancellation of themanipulation, for a predetermined period.

[0128] Another indicator may be arranged in addition to the first andsecond indicators 114, 115. In this case, when the manipulation iscancelled, the additional indicator is lighted on or flashed for apredetermined period.

[0129] In the third embodiment, the first and second indicators 114, 115are structured as manipulation range indicating means. In this case,each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 basically informs adriver of the manipulation state (manipulation range) of the shiftmanipulation portion 110 in accordance with the manipulation signalreceived from the switches SW1 to SW6. However, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 may be structured such that the first and secondindicators 114, 115 indicate the gear range in sync with the actual gearrange. That is, the shift manipulation controller 120 may be structuredsuch that each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 indicates theactual gear range in accordance with the detection signal from theactual position sensor 121 (or the rotational angle sensor 122). In thiscase, the first and second indicators 114, 115 correspond to actual gearrange indicating means.

[0130] If the shift manipulation controller 120 is structured asmentioned above, the gear range indicated by each of the first andsecond indicators 114, 115 will not be inconsistent with the actual gearrange although a particular indication control is not performed when themanipulation of the shift manipulation portion 110 performed by a driveris cancelled.

[0131] Even in this case, the driver may assume that the gear range willbe shifted according to the manipulation, which has been determinedinvalid. Thus, the driver could be disturbed if the indication of eachof the first and second indicators 114, 115 does not change. Therefore,in addition to maintaining the gear range indication, it is desirable tonotify the driver that the manipulation is cancelled using a particularindicating means as mentioned above.

Fourth Embodiment

[0132] A fourth embodiment of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 12. The differences from the thirdembodiment will mainly be discussed below.

[0133] A shift-by-wire type shift device, which shifts the actuationposition of the manual valve 104, can shift the actual gear rangewithout necessarily being consistent with the manipulation performed bya driver. Thus, the shift device can perform withholding control of theshift manipulation. That is, when the shift manipulation of the driveris inappropriate for the current driving state of the vehicle, theshifting of the actual gear range based on the manipulation istemporarily withheld. Then, the withheld shifting of the actual gearrange may be performed when the driving state becomes appropriate.

[0134]FIG. 12 shows an example of a shift device that performs suchwithholding control. According to the example shown in FIG. 12, at timet11 the actual gear range is set to the D range. At this time, thedriver shifts the gear range to the R range. However, the vehicle speedis greater than or equal to the R prohibition speed at time t11 and theR prohibition flag is on. Therefore, at time t11, the shifting of theactual gear range to the R range is prohibited.

[0135] In the fourth embodiment, when it is determined that themanipulation performed by a driver is invalid, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 temporarily stores a memory that the invalidatedmanipulation was performed. In this case, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 stores the memory by turning on a flag (maintaining flag)for storing the memory of the invalidated manipulation when themanipulation is determined to be invalid.

[0136] The maintaining flag is provided for each manipulation forshifting gears that can be executed by a driver. Each maintaining flagis turned off when the actual gear range is shifted in accordance withthe stored manipulation or when the driver performs other manipulation.Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 12, a driver shifts the gear tothe R range and the manipulation is determined to be invalid at timet11. At this time, the maintaining flag for the shifting to the R rangeis switched on.

[0137] At time t12, the vehicle speed is less than the R prohibitionspeed and the shifting of the actual gear range to the R range ispermitted, which was prohibited at time t11. Thus, the shiftmanipulation controller 120 switches off the R prohibition flag. At timet12, the shift manipulation controller 120 refers to the maintainingflag for shifting the gear to the R range. If the maintaining flag ison, the shift manipulation controller 120 starts shifting the actualgear range to the R range.

[0138] The withholding control for shifting the gear ranges is performedas described above.

[0139] In the shift device that performs such withholding control, thegear range corresponding to the withheld manipulation is set for themanipulation range while the shifting of the actual gear range based onthe manipulation is withheld. On the other hand, the actual gear rangeis maintained in the state before the manipulation while the shifting ofthe actual gear range is withheld. Therefore, the actual gear range andthe manipulation range are inconsistent and could disturb a driver.

[0140] Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, the indication control ofthe first and second indicators 114, 115 are performed as describedbelow to prevent a driver from being disturbed. A case is described whenthe first and second indicators 114, 115 are structured to be switchedcorresponding to the manipulation of the driver, that is, when the firstand second indicators 114, 115 are structured as the manipulation rangeindicating means.

[0141] In the shift device according to the fourth embodiment, the shiftmanipulation controller 120 controls the indications of the first andsecond indicators 114, 115 to be different from the normal state duringthe execution of the withholding control to prevent the driver frombeing disturbed and to notify a driver that the withholding control isbeing performed.

[0142] In the example shown in FIG. 12, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 flashes the D indicator of the second indicator 115 onthe instrument panel during the period from time t11, at which theshifting to the R range is withheld, to time t12, at which thewithholding state is released and the shifting of the actual gear rangeis started. The D indicator is switched off at time t12 and the Rindicator (a frame of the second indicator 115 of the instrument panelcorresponding to the R range) is switched on at time 13, at which theshifting of the actual gear range to the R range is completed.

[0143] The withholding control for shifting the gear from the D range tothe R range is described above as an example. However, the similarwithholding control and the similar indication control may be appliedwhen the gears are shifted between other gear ranges. When performingsuch withholding control, it is desirable to limit the period duringwhich the maintaining flag is switched on. For example, the time periodduring which the withholding state is maintained can be limited byautomatically switching the maintaining flag off after a predeterminedtime elapses from when the withholding flag is switched on.

[0144] The fourth embodiment provides the following advantages inaddition to the advantages described in (1) and (2).

[0145] (6) According to the fourth embodiment, when a gear is shiftedinappropriately for the driving state of the vehicle, the shifting ofthe actual gear range based on the manipulation is temporarily withheld.Then, when the driving state is appropriate for the corresponding gearshift, the shifting of the actual gear range that has been withheld isperformed. Therefore, while avoiding the shifting of the actual gearrange that is inappropriate and applies an excessive load to the geartype transmission 102 in a suitable manner, the manipulation thatcorresponds to the driver's intention is performed.

[0146] (7) According to the fourth embodiment, while the withholdingcontrol is performed, the indication of the second indicator 115 isdifferent from the normal gear range indication that corresponds to themanipulation state of the shift manipulation portion 110. Therefore, adriver is not disturbed although the manipulation range that is beingwithheld and the actual gear range are inconsistent.

Modification of Fourth Embodiment

[0147] The indication state of the first and second indicators 114, 115during the execution of the withholding control may be modified. Theexamples of modification are listed below.

[0148] The second indicator 115 may be structured to maintain lightingthe indication frame of the gear range that has been selected beforeexecuting the withholding control during the execution of thewithholding control and to flash the frame for the gear range thatcorresponds to the withheld manipulation. For example, under the samecondition as the example shown in FIG. 12, the D indicator is maintainedon from time t11 to time t12 and the R indicator is flashed from timet11 to time t13.

[0149] The indication state of the second indicator 115 on theinstrument panel before the execution of the withholding control may bemaintained and the first indicator 114 of the shift manipulation portion110 may indicate a different sign during the execution of thewithholding control.

[0150] Another indicator may be provided in addition to the first andsecond indicators 114, 115. In this case, the additional indicator islighted or flashed during the execution of the withholding control.

[0151] A driver may be notified that the manipulation is withheld by asound such as a notification sound from the buzzer 127 during theexecution of the withholding control. As long as the manipulation stateof the gear range is indicated during the execution of the withholdingcontrol by a particular indication state that is different from thenormal state, a driver is not disturbed although the manipulation rangethat has been withheld and the actual gear range are inconsistent.

[0152] In the fourth embodiment, the first and second indicators 114,115 are structured as the manipulation range indicating means. In thiscase, each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 basically showsthe manipulation state (manipulation range) of the shift manipulationportion 110. However, the indicators 114, 115 may be structured as theactual gear range indicating means. In this case, each of the first andsecond indicators 114, 115 indicates the actual gear range correspondingto the actual position of the manual valve 104. Although the first andsecond indicators 114, 115 are structured as the actual gear rangeindicating means, the manipulation range and the actual gear range areinconsistent during the withholding control. Therefore, similarly to thefourth embodiment, each of the first and second indicators 114, 115 mayindicate the manipulation state in a particular manner that is differentfrom the normal indication state during the execution of the withholdingcontrol such that the driver is not disturbed.

Fifth Embodiment

[0153] A fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be describedwith reference to FIG. 13. The differences from the above illustratedembodiments will mainly be discussed below.

[0154] In the fifth embodiment, the shift manipulation controller 120 isstructured such that the indication of the first and second indicators114, 115 are controlled in sync with the actual gear range in accordancewith the detection signal from the actual position sensor 121 (or therotational angle sensor 122, or both). Therefore, the first and secondindicators 114, 115 according to the fifth embodiment correspond to theactual gear range indicating means.

[0155] As mentioned earlier, the actual gear range is shifted bychanging the actuation position of the manual valve 104 by driving theactuator 108. The actuation positions that correspond to the actual gearranges of the manual valve 104 are arranged in a predetermined order asshown in FIG. 10. Therefore, when shifting the actual gear range fromthe P range to the D range, the manual valve 104 passes the actuationposition corresponding to the R range and the N range due of thestructure of the manual valve 104. That is, the gear is shifted only inthe order of P, R, N, and D when shifting the actual gear range from theP range to the D range.

[0156] On the other hand, the manipulation of the shift manipulationportion 110 for shifting the actual gear range from the P range to the Drange is performed by a single manipulation of tilting the shift lever111 rearward. Therefore, according to the shift device of the fifthembodiment, the shifting step of the actual gear range from the P rangeto the D range and its manipulation step (shifting step of themanipulation range) are completely different. Similarly, the shiftingstep of the actual gear range and the shifting step of the manipulationrange are also different in the gear shift from D to P, D to R, R to D,N to P, and P to N. Furthermore, the shifting step of the actual gearrange and the shifting step of the manipulation range are also differentin the gear shift between the forward drive gear ranges from the L rangeto the 3rd range excluding the D range and the N, R and P ranges. Thatis, in the shift device according to the fifth embodiment, the shiftingstep of the actual gear range differs from the shifting step of themanipulation range when shifting the gear between the gear ranges thatare not adjacent to each other due to the arrangement of the actuationpositions of the manual valve 104.

[0157] In the shift device according to the fifth embodiment, themanipulation of the shift manipulation portion 110 for shifting theactual gear ranges between the forward drive gear ranges (D, 3rd, 2nd,L) is performed only in the order of arrangement of the manual valve104. Therefore, when shifting the gear ranges between the forward drivegear ranges (D, 3rd, 2nd, L), there is no difference between theshifting step of the actual gear range and the shifting step of themanipulation range.

[0158] According to such shift device, a driver might assume asdescribed below when the shifting step of the actual gear range differsfrom the shifting step of the manipulation range. That is, a drivermight assume that the gear is directly shifted in the same manner as themanipulation step of the shift manipulation portion 110 even when theactual gear range is shifted via other gear ranges located in between.This is a wrong assumption with regard to the structure of the shiftdevice. As a result, the feeling that the driver receive whenmanipulating the shift manipulation portion 110 could differ from theshifting state of the actual gear range. Therefore, if each of the firstand second indicators 114, 115 indicates the gear range corresponding tothe shifting step of the actual gear range, a driver might be disturbed.A dotted line in FIG. 13 shows the indication of the second indicator115 in the case when each of the first and second indicators 114, 115indicates the gear range corresponding to the shifting step of theactual gear range.

[0159] In the fifth embodiment, the shift manipulation controller 120controls the indication of each of the first and second indicators 114,115 as described below during a period from when a driver manipulatesthe shift manipulation portion 110 until the shifting of the actual gearrange corresponding to the manipulation is completed.

[0160] As mentioned above, the manipulation signal is sent from one ofthe switches SW1 to SW6 to the shift manipulation controller 120 when adriver manipulates the shift manipulation portion 110. Then, the shiftmanipulation controller 120 starts to control the shifting of the actualgear range to the manipulation range corresponding to the receivedmanipulation signal. During the shifting from when the manipulationsignal is received until the shifting of the actual gear range based onthe manipulation signal is completed, the shift manipulation controller120 controls the first and second indicators 114, 115. The first andsecond indicators 114, 115 are controlled to have a particularindication state that is different from the normal gear rangeindication, which is in sync with the actual gear range. Therefore, thedriver in informed that the actual gear range is now being shifted basedon the manipulation. Also, during the shifting of the actual gearranges, the indication of each of the first and second indicators 114,115 is controlled to be different from the normal state. Therefore, thedriver will not be conscious about the shifting step of the actual gearrange that is different from the manipulation step. This prevents thedriver from being disturbed.

[0161]FIG. 13 shows an example of the control procedure according to thefifth embodiment. In the example of the control procedure, the actualgear range is set to the P range at time t21. At this time, the drivershifts the gear to the D range.

[0162] The shift manipulation controller 120 receives a manipulationsignal (from the switch SW4) for shifting the gear to the D range attime t21. Then, the shift manipulation controller 120 starts shiftingthe actual gear range (actual position of the manual valve) by drivingthe actuator 108. In the fifth embodiment, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 further switches on a flag (a during-shifting flag) attime t21 and indicates that the actual gear range is being shifted. Theduring-shifting flag is kept on while the actual gear range is beingshifted and is switched off when the shifting is completed. Therefore,in the example shown in FIG. 13, the during-shifting flag is switchedoff at time t22 when the shifting of the actual gear range (actualposition of the manual valve) to the D range is completed.

[0163] In the fifth embodiment, the shift manipulation controller 120confirms that the shifting of the actual gear range corresponding to themanipulation is completed based on the detection signal from the actualposition sensor 121 (or the rotational angle sensor 122, or both). Then,the shift manipulation controller 120 switches off the during-shiftingflag when the completion of the shifting is confirmed.

[0164] On the other hand, FIG. 13 also shows the indication state of thesecond indicator 155 before, during, and after the shifting of theactual gear range.

[0165] As shown in FIG. 13, the frame of the indicator 115 correspondingto the P range (P indicator) is lighted on before time t21, or beforethe driver shifts the gear from the P range to the D range.

[0166] The shift manipulation controller 120 controls the indication ina particular manner on the condition that the during-shifting flag isswitched on. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the shift manipulationcontroller 120 controls the indication of the second indicator 115 toindicate that the gear is being shifted. The shift manipulationcontroller 120 flashes the frame corresponding to the actual gear rangethat was selected before the manipulation while the during-shifting flagis switched on.

[0167] More specifically, the shift manipulation controller 120 receivesa manipulation signal for shifting the gear to the D range and switcheson the during-shifting flag at time t21. At this time, the shiftmanipulation controller 120 starts flashing the P indicator. The Pindicator keeps flashing until time t22 when the shifting of the gear tothe D range is completed and the during-shifting flag is switched off.After time t22, the P indicator is lighted off and the framecorresponding to the actual gear range after the gear is shifted islighted on. That is, the frame corresponding to the D range is lightedon according to this example.

[0168] Although not shown in FIG. 13, in the fifth embodiment, theindication of the first indicator 114 at the shift manipulation portion110 is controlled in the same manner as the second indicator 115. In thefifth embodiment, the case when the actual gear range is shifted fromthe P range to the D range is described as an example. However, theshift device according to the fifth embodiment performs the sameindication control when shifting the gear between other gear ranges inwhich the manipulation step is different from the shifting step of theactual gear ranges.

[0169] The fifth embodiment provides the following advantages inaddition to the advantages described in (1) and (2).

[0170] In the fifth embodiment, the indication of the first and secondindicators are different from the normal gear range indication during aperiod from when the shift manipulation portion 110 is manipulated untilwhen the shifting of the actual gear range based on the manipulation iscompleted. Therefore, a driver is prevented from being disturbed by theinconsistency between the manipulation step (shifting step of themanipulation range) and the shifting step of the actual gear range or bythe delay in the shifting of the actual gear range from the manipulationin a suitable manner.

Modification of Fifth Embodiment

[0171] The indication control of the first and the second indicators114, 115 according to the fifth embodiment or the like may be applied tothe shifting of the gear range in which the manipulation step (shiftingstep of the manipulation range) and the shifting step of the actual gearrange are consistent such as the shifting of the actual gear rangebetween the forward drive ranges.

[0172] In such shifting of the gear range, the shifting step of themanipulation range and the actual gear range are actually consistent.However, in the shift device according to the fifth embodiment, theactuation position of the manual valve 104 is shifted by the actuator108. Therefore, a certain period of time is required from when a drivermanipulates the shift manipulation portion 110 until when the shiftingof the actual gear range is completed.

[0173] Therefore, there is a certain amount of delay in the responsefrom when a driver manipulates the shift manipulation portion 110, thatis, from when the manipulation range is shifted, until when the actualgear range is shifted based on the manipulation. Thus, even in the caseswhen shifting the gear between the gear ranges in which the shiftingstep of the manipulation range and the shifting step of the actual gearrange are consistent, the manipulation range and the actual gear rangeare inconsistent during the period the response is delayed. This coulddisturb a driver.

[0174] Therefore, in the above cases, the indication control of thefirst and the second indicators 114, 115 according to the fifthembodiment or the like may also be applied to prevent a driver frombeing disturbed.

[0175] The indication of each of the first and second indicators 114,115 during the shifting of the actual gear range is not limited to theexample described in the fifth embodiment but may be modified. Themodifications of the indication state are listed below.

[0176] During the shifting of the actual gear range, each of the firstand second indicators 114, 115 may be controlled to flash the gear range(manipulation range) that a driver intends to shift to. That is, in thesame case as shown in FIG. 13, the P indicator of the second indicator115 is switched off at time t21 and the D indicator of the secondindicator 115 is flashed from time t21 to time t22 during which theactual gear range is being shifted. The D indicator is then lighted onat time t22 when the shifting of the actual gear range is completed.

[0177] Each of the first and the second indicators 114, 115 may indicatenothing during the shifting of the actual gear range.

[0178] During the shifting of the actual gear range, one of the firstand the second indicators 114, 115 may be controlled in the generalprocedure and the other one may be controlled in the particular state asdescribed above.

[0179] Another indicator may be provided in addition to the first andsecond indicators 114, 115. In this case, during the shifting of theactual gear range, the additional indicator may be lighted on orflashed.

[0180] Furthermore, during the shifting of the actual gear range, thebuzzer 127 may generate a sound such as a notification sound to inform adriver that the gear is being shifted. As long as the driver is informedin a different manner from the general indication of the gear rangeduring the shifting of the actual gear range, the driver is preventedfrom being disturbed in a suitable manner.

[0181] In the fifth embodiment, each of the first and second indicators114, 115 is structured as the actual gear range indicating means, whichbasically indicates the gear range in sync with the actual gear range.However, the first and the second indicators 114, 115 may be structuredas the manipulation range indicating means, which indicates themanipulation range in accordance with the manipulation state of theshift manipulation portion 110. Even in this case, the actual gear rangeand the manipulation range are inconsistent during the shifting of theactual gear range after manipulating the shift manipulation portion 110.Therefore, each of the first and the second indicators 114, 115 may becontrolled in a particular manner as described in the example during theshifting of the actual gear range to prevent a driver from beingdisturbed.

[0182] The shift manipulation controller 120 according to the fifthembodiment confirms the completion of the shifting of the actual gearrange based on the detection signal from one or both of the actualposition sensor 121 and the rotational angle sensor 122 to control theindication of the first and the second indicators 114, 115. However, atime required for shifting the actual gear range between the gear rangesin each combination of the gear ranges may be obtained by an experimentbeforehand. In this case, the indication is controlled in accordancewith a predetermined time. That is, the indication of the first and thesecond indicators 114, 115 may be controlled in a particular mannerduring a period from when the manipulation signal is received until thepredetermined time obtained by the experiment elapses.

Further Embodiments

[0183] In the shift device according to each of the illustratedembodiments, the first and the second indicators 114, 115 are structuredas the actual gear range indicating means or the manipulation rangeindicating means. However, one of the first and second indicators 114,115 may be structured as the actual gear range indicating means and theother one may be structured as the manipulation range indicating means.For example, the shift device may be structured such that the firstindicator 114 of the shift manipulation portion 110 indicates themanipulation range and the second indicator 115 on the instrument panelindicates the actual gear range.

[0184] In this case, as long as a driver sufficiently understands whichof the first and second indicators 114, 115 indicates which of themanipulation range and the actual gear range, the driver is notdisturbed even if the manipulation range and the actual gear range areinconsistent. The driver can confirm and compare the indications of thefirst and the second indicators 114, 115 to acknowledge the currentstatus accurately.

[0185] However, when applying the control procedure of canceling themanipulation as described in the third embodiment to the shift devicestructured as above, it is required to be careful about the following.That is, if the manipulation range that has been invalidated isindicated in the indicator until a driver manipulates the shiftmanipulation portion 110 again, the indications of the indicators areinconsistent for a long period. This could disturb the driver.

[0186] However, even in this case, applying the indication control asdescribed in the third embodiment to the indicator that indicates themanipulation range avoids causing a driver to be disturbed. It is alsopossible to prevent a driver from being disturbed by indicating the gearrange corresponding to the manipulation signal in the indicator once andthen shifting the indication to the actual gear range after apredetermined time elapses from when the manipulation is determined tobe invalid. Furthermore, a driver will not be disturbed if the indicatorfor the manipulation range indicates the gear range corresponding to themanipulation signal for a predetermined time only from when themanipulation signal is received no matter the manipulation is valid orinvalid.

[0187] Although the shift device includes both the indicator thatindicates the manipulation range and the indicator that indicates theactual gear range, the indication control as described in eachembodiment may be applied to one or both of the indicators. Therefore, adriver is accurately informed of the current state and thus thepossibility that the driver is disturbed is reduced.

[0188] Further modifications are listed below.

[0189] The first and second indicators 114, 115 are arranged on theshift manipulation portion 110 and the instrument panel. However, theposition and the number of the indicators and the way to indicate thegear range may be changed.

[0190] The shift manipulation portion 110 is structured by a combinationof the shift lever 111, and the pushbuttons, or the P and N buttons 112,113. However, the structure of the shift manipulation portion 110 may bemodified.

[0191] For example, the shift manipulation portion 110 may be structuredsuch that all the gear ranges can be shifted only by a lever or theshift manipulation portion 110 may be structured to include a pushbuttonfor each actual gear range.

[0192] The AT other than that shifts four gears of forward drive may beused.

1. A shift device for a vehicle, wherein the shift device sends acommand signal to an electric actuator for shifting a plurality of gearranges of a transmission of a vehicle by the electric actuator, whereinthe gear ranges include a plurality of drive ranges and a parking range,the shift device comprising: a shift lever arranged to move between aneutral position and a plurality of manipulation positions located aboutthe neutral position; a restoration mechanism for restoring the shiftlever to the neutral position; a first sensor for electrically detectinga manipulation performed to select one of the drive ranges; and a secondsensor for electrically detecting a manipulation performed to select theparking range, wherein at least the first sensor detects toward which ofthe manipulation positions the shift lever is manipulated.
 2. The shiftdevice according to claim 1, wherein the manipulation positions of theshift lever include a reverse position and a drive position, which arelocated on a first straight line with the neutral position in between,and a shift up position and a shift down position, which are located ona second straight line, which is perpendicular to the first straightline.
 3. The shift device according to claim 1, wherein the first sensorincludes a plurality of detection switches, and wherein each of thedetection switches is located corresponding to one of the manipulationpositions.
 4. The shift device according to claim 1, wherein the secondsensor is a manipulation switch located on the shift lever.
 5. The shiftdevice according to claim 1, wherein the shift device is located on adoor of a vehicle.
 6. The shift device according to claim 1, wherein theshift device further includes a movement mechanism, which movablysupports the shift device.
 7. A shift device for a vehicle, wherein theshift device sends a command signal to an electric actuator for shiftinga plurality of gear ranges of a transmission of a vehicle by theelectric actuator, wherein the gear ranges include a plurality of driveranges and a parking range, the shift device comprising: a shift leverarranged to move between a neutral position and a plurality ofmanipulation positions located about the neutral position; a restorationmechanism for restoring the shift lever to the neutral position; aplurality of detection switches for electrically detecting amanipulation of the shift lever performed to select one of the driveranges, wherein each of the detection switches detects toward which ofthe manipulation positions the shift lever is manipulated; and amanipulation switch arranged on the shift lever, wherein themanipulation switch is manipulated to select the parking range.
 8. Theshift device according to claim 7, wherein the restoration mechanismincludes: a supporting member for supporting the shift lever such thatthe shift lever is selectively inclined to an arbitrary direction fromthe neutral position; a plunger arranged on the shift lever, wherein theplunger selectively projects from and retracted in the shift lever; abase portion arranged opposite to the plunger, wherein the base portionincludes a recess, which is engaged with the plunger; and a spring forurging the plunger toward the recess, wherein, when the plunger isengaged with the recess by the force of the spring, the shift lever ismaintained at the neutral position, and wherein, when the force to tiltthe shift lever is released, the shift lever is restored to the neutralposition by the force of the spring. 9-24. (Cancelled)